Read Online The Reluctant Wag by Mary Costello - Free Book Online

his eyes.
    ‘Right, rhubarb it is then.’
    She tried to laugh and moved closer to him. ‘And custard,’ she said, smiling for the cameras.
    ‘Oh really?’ he asked, playing along and grinning broadly now. ‘What about some pavlova to follow?’
    They both burst out laughing and Kyle shrieked out, ‘Yes! That’s it. Now, Merise, you’ve asked to have a photo taken – Jim!’ And Jim stepped up, his camera at the ready. ‘Cal, can you put your arm around her, please? Please! That shouldn’t be too much of a trauma for you.’
    For a second Cal looked as if he didn’t know whether to laugh or stalk off, but then he put one bare arm around her shoulders. Merise felt herself gasp at the sudden contact of his flesh. It was hard and soft at the same time. She felt the heat from his body, as if he were giving off a powerful energy, and knew that a blush was rising from her neck upwards. She didn’t dare look up at him. His side touched hers and she wondered if he could feel the mad beating of her heart. It seemed to her that it was thumping through her entire body. The photographer snapped away.
    ‘A couple more, to be sure,’ said Kyle. ‘I suppose a little kiss would be too much to ask, Cal?’
    She felt him go rigid. ‘You suppose right, mate. Excuse me. Got a game to win,’ he said to Merise and he walked towards the race, pulling on his guernsey as the other players fell in behind him and Kyle stood wringing his hands.
    Merise felt her face burning with shame as a club official led her to a prominent seat in the members’ area. He hadn’t wanted to kiss her, that was clear. He probably thought of her as a scheming wannabe celebrity, using him to get her name in the papers. That stupid photo!
    Kyle and his team had set up in a side aisle off to her right. They would be filming her reaction during the game. She dreaded the thought of sitting there for three hours and longed to be at home. She wouldn’t understand what was happening anyway. But almost as soon as the whistle blew, she found herself caught up in the excitement. The crowd around her followed every kick, every handball, every tackle, and they erupted at every goal. And there were a lot of them. It was a high-scoring game, not at all like soccer. This was full of drama.
    At some point in the second quarter Merise really began to feel the thrill. An opposition player had kicked long to the Brumbies’ captain who caught the ball on the run and raced towards the Yarraside goals. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Cal was upon him, tackling him to the ground. He deftly dispossessed him of the ball, then turned and ran hard in the opposite direction, bouncing the ball every few steps, all the while weaving his way among Brumbies players who tried to catch him. The stadium was electrified as he neared the Brumbies’ goals, Wolves fans on their feet, willing him on, yelling, ‘Go Cal!’ Even Merise was on her feet, her hands clasped under her chin, her mouth open in awe as he powered up the field, a perfect image of pure masculine power. He kicked and the ball split the middle of the goals, and Merise and everyone around her jumped and yelled with delight. She was only half aware of the cameras trained on her the whole time, and Kyle pacing agitatedly up and down the aisle, barking instructions and groaning every few minutes.
    At the end of the game, when the Wolves had won by a whopping seventy-three points, Merise was approached by Kyle’s assistant, Dave. She was wanted at the race, he explained. She followed him to where Kyle was directing security guards to clear her way to the front of the race.
    ‘Okay, Merise, as Cal comes off, you hang over and touch him, okay?’
    ‘Touch him? Why?’
    Kyle rolled his eyes, ‘It’s a fan thing – just do it.’
    She could see Cal leading the victorious team towards the race, where crowds of elated supporters were pressing forward to congratulate their heroes. She noticed that Paige was hurrying along beside